GECOM Will Proceed with Elections Preparations Regardless

Attorney General Nandlall Asserts GECOM Will Proceed with Elections Preparations

Attorney General Anil Nandlall has made it clear that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will continue its preparations for the upcoming General and Regional Elections on September 1, regardless of the presence of Opposition Commissioners.

Mr. Nandlall’s statement follows an incident where an Opposition GECOM Commissioner walked out of a scheduled Commission meeting on Tuesday, alleging that several critical electoral issues raised in a previous meeting were not included on the agenda. Consequently, the meeting ended due to a lack of quorum.

During his weekly “Issues in the News” program, Mr. Nandlall accused the Opposition Commissioners of attempting to delay GECOM’s work in preparation for the elections. He stated, “Charles Corbin, Vincent Alexander, and Desmond Trotman are engaging in their regular conduct, attending the meeting and then walking out to create an inquorate situation, denying the meeting a quorum.”

The Attorney General explained that the law stipulates that if the Opposition Commissioners unreasonably withhold their presence from a meeting, the meeting can be adjourned until two calendar days later. He emphasized that the Opposition Commissioners would not hold GECOM at ransom, as the Constitution allows for an alternative quorum, where the Chairman and three other Commissioners can proceed with a meeting.

Mr. Nandlall noted that this provision is explicitly outlined in Article 226 (5) of the Constitution, which has been activated multiple times during previous elections due to similar behaviors from the Opposition.

Despite the Opposition Leader asserting that his party is prepared for the elections, Mr. Nandlall criticized the Opposition Commissioners for actively trying to obstruct the Commission’s work.

In response, an Opposition GECOM Commissioner clarified that during the start of yesterday’s meeting, the GECOM Chair requested the minutes from a previous meeting as the first item. When questioned about the absence of promised items on the agenda, the GECOM Chair reportedly indicated that she was still awaiting a response from the Attorney General regarding those matters.

The GECOM Chair assured that the items would be included in Thursday’s meeting agenda. However, Commissioner Trotman expressed frustration that the agenda did not prioritize election-related matters, stating he was unprepared to participate in discussions about unrelated issues.

The Opposition Commissioners have reiterated their willingness to address matters related to the upcoming elections but emphasized that they are still waiting for the Attorney General’s advice on specific issues.

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